Conclusion

Caritas was an emotional ethic that underpinned many of the ideals and behaviours of early modern peoples. Like the felt judgements of contemporary emotions theory, it guided decision-making through bodily feeling and was manifested in actions performed in and by bodies. This Conclusion draws together the threads of this book to highlight the utility of the concept of an ‘emotional ethic’ in helping us understand the social, economic, and cultural life of the Scottish poor, and suggests its possibilities for interpreting other contexts and future feeling. It concludes by reflecting on the possibilities of love as an ethic for the future.